The term “Messianic Judaism” was first used in 1895 in United States of America.
The accounts in regards to the origin of the name bore that a congregation of Hebrew converts to Christianity was established in 1885 and worshipped at the Methodist “Hope of Israel” mission in New York in 1890s. The congregation retained some Hebrew rites and customs.
In the year 1895, the 9th edition of Hope of Israel’s our hope magazine carried the subtitle- “A monthly devoted to the study of prophecy and to MESSIANIC JUDAISM. That marked the first use of the term –“MESSIANIC JUDAISM”
The congregation of Hebrew Christians began to evolve systematically and was boosted in 1894 when Leopold Cohn- a convert from Judaism founded the Brownsville mission to the Hebrews.
After several changes in name, structure and focus, the congregation became known as Chosen People Ministries which have operations in United States and other nations.
Mission to Hebrews grew systematically from those years to 1900s to 1960s.
In the 1940s and 1950s, missionaries in Israel adopted the term “Meshichyim” (Messianics) to counter negative connotations of the word “Notzrim” which was used for Christian Hebrews. The term “Notzrim” was derived from “Nazarenes” and was used to designate all Hebrews that had take conversion to protestant evangelical Christianity.
As mentioned earlier, the efforts of converting Hebrews into Yahosheanism started with Yahoshea Meshiyach and were amplified by the works of his disciples. Great preachers as Paul were known for moving from synagogue to another with the glad news of Yahoshea Meshiyach with intension to convert his follow Hebrews into the fold.
Early accounts of Yahoshean’s mission in Hebrew-land such as the record of Epiphanies of Salamis gave account of conversion of great men like Count Joseph of Tiberia. There were other accounts as Sozomen’s records of other Hebrew converts into the Yahosheanism.
When the mission of Yahoshea Meshiyach was twisted into Christianity, many Hebrew citizens who took to the faith became identified as Christian Hebrews.
Notable Christian Hebrews who themselves attempted to convert fellow Hebrews were more noticed around 13th century as bore by historic records, when Hebrew converts like Pablo Christiani attempted to convert other Hebrews by all measures.
The activities of those early Christian Hebrew evangelism lacked independency, Hebrew Christian congregations and their activities were often carried out through organized Christian Churches.
The establishment of independent Hebrew Christian congregations and movements commence during 18th and 19th centuries. One of the earliest formal organizations that target at independent Hebrew Christianity was the Anglican London Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews. This movement was founded by Joseph Frey in 1809. This body equally published the first Yiddish New Testament Scripture in 1821.
Joseph Frey later team up with other 41 Hebrew Christians to form a group known as Beni Abraham Association in 1913. This group started to incorporate a Sabbath resting model of the Christian Hebrew Movements.
Although they were never accurate on their Sabbath form because they met for prayers on every Friday night and Sunday mornings.
The Sabbath as ordained by Yahweh commences by sunset of sixth day (Friday) and run down to sunset of seventh day (Sabbath).
But these groups were interested in ushering-in Sabbath on the evening of sixth day (Friday) and to observe full rest on 1st day being Sunday.
History bore that the September 1813 meeting of Frey’s “Beni Abraham Association at the rented Jewish chapel in Spitalfieds is pointed as the birth of the semi-autonomous Hebrews Christian movement within Anglican and other established churches in Britain.
The association was evicted from the Anglican building and they relocated and found the Episcopal Jews Chapel Abrahamic Society which was registered in 1835.
In Eastern Europe, a Hebrew Christian mission and congregation was established by Joseph Rabinowitz in 1884 with the name-Israelites of the New Covenant in Kishinev.
Rabinowltz was known for his motive to restore the Hebrew customs and value in his model of Christian Hebrew movement. He created a sample order of worship for Sabbath service based on a mixture of Hebrew and Christian elements.
His movement is credited as the first Hebrew Christian movement that re-instuted real Sabbath worship at its appropriate time as done by Yahoshea Meshiyach and his followers.
Many Hebrew Christian bodies copied from him. For instance, Mark John Levy copied the model of Rabinowtz and pressed upon the Church of England to allow members to embrace Hebrew Christians.
This Hebrew model Christianity began to flourish to 1970 when a growing number of Hebrews who had converted to Christianity became committed to maintaining a culturally Hebrewish lifestyle in the mode advocated by Rabinowitz.
This marked the era of Messianic Judaism as converts began going against the perceptions of older order of Hebrew Christian movement with a belief that new approach of evangelism of Hebrews is necessary.
They adopted some of the teaching techniques of Hebrews for Yahoshea. Since some of them were not properly taught over the proper name of Yahoshea and it’s efficacy, some resorted to the name Jesus while some took to the name Yashua, Yahshua the Messiah to identify or represent the saviour.
Truly, the business of restoration of all necessary information about the savior is vested upon the comforter and not researchers.
Meshiyach Yahzitere Yahmarabhi
